Building safety Gateway 2 applications soar as levy looms
The UK's Building Safety Regulator is experiencing a surge in Gateway 2 project applications as developers rush to meet deadlines before a new safety levy takes effect in October. Performance metrics for approvals have improved significantly over the past year due to increased staffing and collaboration.
Why it matters
Efficient regulatory oversight is essential for ensuring high-rise building safety and housing development progress in the UK.
The Building Safety Regulator is facing a fresh surge in workload after Gateway 2 project applications jumped sharply during August.
Latest BSR figures show 1,654 Gateway 2 applications are now live, an increase of more than 100 in a single month. The regulator said it would closely monitor whether the rise continues.
The spike comes ahead of the new Building Safety Levy taking effect on 1 October, which BSR believes may be encouraging developers to get applications into the system early.
New-build applications have already accelerated, with 34 submitted during August, and BSR said it expects numbers to climb further during September as the levy deadline approaches.
Pressure is also building from refurbishment work. BSR received 457 higher-risk building internal works applications over the latest 12-week period, against just 143 decisions, taking the live caseload for this category to 1,082.
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